The News staff report

MONT BELVIEU — Just a friendly reminder: Port Arthur Memorial is a top contender for the boys’ 5A state track and field championship.

Memorial swept the relays, as it did in the District 22-5A meet, and Kary Vincent Jr. lowered his personal-best time in the 200 meters on its way to winning the Area 11-5A championship Thursday at Barbers Hill High. Memorial edged Beaumont Central 118-111, with Barbers Hill coming in third with 80.

Memorial’s girls team came in third in standings thanks in large part to three event victories, while Jacie Droddy of Port Neches-Groves was a winner in the long jump.

Vincent ran 21.01 seconds in the 200, just beating his PR of 21.09 set last year in his 6A state championship-winning run. The future LSU football player also played a big part in the 4×100- and 4×200-meter relays, both of whom beat their district rival Central by more than a second.

Freshman Ireon Brown led off both relay teams. Vincent, Xavier Hull and De’Andre Angelle rounded out the 4×100, with Brown, Micheal Odoms, Vincent and Hull making up the 4×200. PNG was fourth in the 4×100.

Brown anchored the 4×400, with district 800-meter champion Ja’Quan Francois, Xavier Hull and Gregory Laday taking the first three legs. Francois came in second in the area 800 in a close finish with Justin Maynard of Kingwood Park.

A big factor in Memorial’s team win was De’Andre Angelle’s finish in the 100 meters. He was just 0.01 second behind first-place Craig Williams of Crosby, a week after coming in third at districts. Calen Ragsdale, the district 100 champ from Central, just missed qualifying for next week’s Region III meet in Humble in the event, as he came in fifth, 0.02 behind teammate Deshon Moreaux.

Bryan Moore of Memorial had a solid day in the 110 and 300 hurdles with silver medals in both.

Alec Torres of Nederland maintained his reign in the pole vault. His 14-foot, 6-inch vault beat Josh Cofresi of Barbers Hill by 1 foot. Nederland’s Kevon Latulas came in third at 13-0.

Carlos Rodriguez of Nederland made the regional meet in the 1,600 with a fourth-place finish, as did Keynel McZeal of PNG in the triple jump.

Youth served Memorial well on the girls’ side, too. Sophomore Aniya Duhon and three freshmen, Zykirra Carrabas, Coreyanna Gorrer and Capri Wilson teamed up for the win in the 4×100, while senior Ayala Stevens joined the freshmen on the winning 4×200.

Millicent Neveu won gold for Memorial in the 300 hurdles.

Droddy won a tiebreaker over Kayla Pruitt of Dayton after both jumped 17-4. Gabrielle Gutierrez of Nederland was third at 17-1, but had a second-place result in the 100 hurdles.

Cami Gonzales of Nederland tied Mercedes Perry of Ozen in the high jump at 5-2, but Perry won the tiebreaker. Morgan Luke of Nederland came in fourth in the pole vault.